Fredonia ladder trucks, left, and Dunkirk surround the location of Heenan’s Irish Pub in Fredonia Monday afternoon. PJ’s photos
FREDONIA – Shortly after 3:10 p.m. Monday, hundreds were gathering along Main and Eagle streets in Fredonia as smoke billowed from the rooftops of Heenan’s Irish Pub. Some obviously came to witness the fire. Others were there to support the establishment’s owner, Shaun Heenan.
Heenan was surrounded by friends offering handshakes and hugs as he watched helplessly as firefighters battled the blaze that started outside the two-story structure at 39 E. Main St. which he has overseen for more than three decades. By 4:15 p.m., members of the Fredonia Fire Department, Dunkirk, East Dunkirk and Sheridan Fire Departments had the fire under control.
Damage to the Eagle Street side of the building, however, is severe. Firefighters began arriving shortly after 3 a.m. when the fire was reported. Those on the scene began ripping off siding and breaking down walls on the south side of the structure where the flames could be seen from where the circuit box had been located.
Once Dunkirk arrived to help, it was an impressive, if unfortunate, sight as the two largest departments in North County surrounded the structure two stories above the street as they worked together on aerial ladder trucks to quickly put out the fire.
Fredonia Fire Chief Joshua Myers praised everyone’s work to keep the damage to a minimum. “Our guys were out in seconds and had water on the fire in minutes,” he said
Myers said the fire appeared to start outside before moving into a wall cavity and rising to the second floor, where one apartment was heavily damaged. Crews entered the building once the smoke and flames cleared and made an important find for a resident by locating her keys.
Due to the fire, traffic on Carrer Major was diverted from Carrer de l’Aigua to Carrer Blanc for about two hours. Meyers said investigators were en route Monday afternoon to determine the cause of the fire.
Chautauqua County Emergency Management Services also assisted.
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